In the fight for Central Florida's business-advertising dollars, the underdog publication gets an award for deflecting a major blow.Orlando Business Journal, a 15,000-circulation business weekly, will receive a self-promotion award from the Florida Press Association in June for a house ad designed to respond to an ad campaign by The Orlando Sentinel.OBJ's ad contained five Sentinel ads that sought to discount OBJ as a cost-effective advertising medium when compared with Central Florida Business, the Sentinel's weekly business publication.

The Holy Land Experience theme park in southwest Orlando will begin construction on a new 25,000-square-foot, 2,000-seat auditorium in June, according to the Orlando Business Journal . To read the full report, go here

CHAIRMAN DIES. Richard N. Hoerner Jr., chairman of Hoerner Publications of Orlando Inc. and Hoerner Publications of Tampa Bay Inc., the publishers, respectively, of Orlando Business Journal and Tampa Bay Business Journal, died Friday of cancer. He was 56. Hoerner was born in Tulsa, Okla., and spent much of his professional life in the container business, including a family business, Hoerner Boxes Inc. He also owned daily and weekly publications. He began Tampa Bay Business Journal in 1981 and Orlando Business Journal in 1984.

Bob Mervine may have known as much as anyone about how to enjoy Orlando -- and he shared that knowledge with anyone he knew and everyone else who read his work. Robert Francis Mervine Jr. was a longtime tourism publicist, author of the book Orlando Chow: Restaurants For the Rest of Us, and staff writer for the Orlando Business Journal, covering hospitality and tourism. He died Tuesday at Florida Hospital-Altamonte, after complications from surgery. He was 60. With his iconic look featuring a ponytail and Hawaiian shirts, a friendly, chatty personality and a penchant for "capturing the moment," as one colleague observed, Mervine was a well-known and easily-recognizable figure throughout Central Florida's tourism and hospitality business community.

The Holy Land Experience theme park in southwest Orlando will begin construction on a new 25,000-square-foot, 2,000-seat auditorium in June, according to the Orlando Business Journal . To read the full report, go here

Bob Mervine may have known as much as anyone about how to enjoy Orlando -- and he shared that knowledge with anyone he knew and everyone else who read his work. Robert Francis Mervine Jr. was a longtime tourism publicist, author of the book Orlando Chow: Restaurants For the Rest of Us, and staff writer for the Orlando Business Journal, covering hospitality and tourism. He died Tuesday at Florida Hospital-Altamonte, after complications from surgery. He was 60. With his iconic look featuring a ponytail and Hawaiian shirts, a friendly, chatty personality and a penchant for "capturing the moment," as one colleague observed, Mervine was a well-known and easily-recognizable figure throughout Central Florida's tourism and hospitality business community.

Orlando Sentinel reporters Steve Berry and Charean Williams won first-place honors in sports reporting from the Atlanta Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists on Saturday.The contest selects the best stories from several categories for newspapers, radio, television and magazines. The entries came from media in 13 Southeastern states.The Sentinel's entry, Stock-car deaths: Who's to blame?, investigated the racing deaths of stock-car drivers Neil Bonnett and Rodney Orr at the 1994 Daytona 500. It showed that a $3 part - not driver error as the sport's racing body had concluded - caused Orr's death and may have contributedto Bonnett's.

UCF HIRES ASSISTANT A.D. Mike Bazemore has been named the new assistant athletic director for business and finance at UCF. He will be responsible for overseeing the business affairs of the UCF athletic department, including financial budgeting, contract administration and accounting. Bazemore, who comes to UCF after spending eight years in a similar capacity at Jacksonville, replaces Joe Labat, who resigned to enter private business in March. FSU HIRES SOCCER ASSISTANT Samantha Andersch was hired as Florida State's assistant soccer coach and recruiting coordinator.

American City Business Journals Inc. said Thursday it reached an agreement to purchase the Orlando Business Journal and the Tampa Bay Business Journal from the Richard N. Hoerner Jr. family trust in Tampa.The purchase price was not disclosed. The sale is expected to close at the end of the month, said Jim Feddersen, a lawyer for the Hoerner family in Milwaukee.American City is a Charlotte, N.C., publisher. It now owns 23 weekly business newspapers, including properties in Miami and Jacksonville.

Orlando advertisers garnered six of the 14 top honors awarded for outstanding creative work at the statewide District 4 ADDY Awards Saturday in Sarasota.The advertising industry's largest annual competition recognizes the best advertising in print, electronic, outdoor and speciality categories. Public-service campaigns also are honored, said Debbie Mooser, president of the Orlando Advertising Federation.Winners of local ADDY contests sponsored by clubs such as the Orlando Advertising Federation competed at the District 4 level, which includes advertisers from Florida, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

UCF HIRES ASSISTANT A.D. Mike Bazemore has been named the new assistant athletic director for business and finance at UCF. He will be responsible for overseeing the business affairs of the UCF athletic department, including financial budgeting, contract administration and accounting. Bazemore, who comes to UCF after spending eight years in a similar capacity at Jacksonville, replaces Joe Labat, who resigned to enter private business in March. FSU HIRES SOCCER ASSISTANT Samantha Andersch was hired as Florida State's assistant soccer coach and recruiting coordinator.

Circulation of the Orlando Business Journal remained nearly unchanged for the six months ended Dec. 31, 1999, compared with the same period a year earlier. The Audit Bureau of Circulations reported last week that OBJ's average circulation during the second half of 1999 was 8,418, compared with 8,563 in 1998. The weekly business newspaper is sold by subscription and on newsstands. High-tech business cards Business cards are great, but they generally contain precious little information.

Advance Publications Inc. announced Friday it plans to buy American City Business Journals Inc., publisher of 28 weekly metropolitan business newspapers, including the Orlando Business Journal.Advance, the Newhouse media family's privately held company that owns magazine publisher Conde Nast and book publisher Random House, reportedly will pay $269 million for the chain of newspapers. As part of the deal, Advance will acquire three motorsports publications and an advertising firm.In a prepared statement, Advance executives said they wanted to acquire American City, based in Charlotte, N.C., because its publications can give advertisers an audience with attractive demographics.

Orlando advertisers garnered six of the 14 top honors awarded for outstanding creative work at the statewide District 4 ADDY Awards Saturday in Sarasota.The advertising industry's largest annual competition recognizes the best advertising in print, electronic, outdoor and speciality categories. Public-service campaigns also are honored, said Debbie Mooser, president of the Orlando Advertising Federation.Winners of local ADDY contests sponsored by clubs such as the Orlando Advertising Federation competed at the District 4 level, which includes advertisers from Florida, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

Orlando Sentinel reporters Steve Berry and Charean Williams won first-place honors in sports reporting from the Atlanta Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists on Saturday.The contest selects the best stories from several categories for newspapers, radio, television and magazines. The entries came from media in 13 Southeastern states.The Sentinel's entry, Stock-car deaths: Who's to blame?, investigated the racing deaths of stock-car drivers Neil Bonnett and Rodney Orr at the 1994 Daytona 500. It showed that a $3 part - not driver error as the sport's racing body had concluded - caused Orr's death and may have contributedto Bonnett's.

Jeffrey LeeGeneral manager, WESH-Channel 2, Winter ParkBroadcasting is still a good business, but we, like our competitors, have to try harder and do a better job. We have had a reasonably good year at this station, in particular, because of the (summer) Olympics and the political campaigns.We are over last year (in revenue) by a comfortable amount. Next year, there will be a hurdle to overcome in that the political dollars we had this year won't be coming. The folks that own broadcasting properties understand that.

Advance Publications Inc. announced Friday it plans to buy American City Business Journals Inc., publisher of 28 weekly metropolitan business newspapers, including the Orlando Business Journal.Advance, the Newhouse media family's privately held company that owns magazine publisher Conde Nast and book publisher Random House, reportedly will pay $269 million for the chain of newspapers. As part of the deal, Advance will acquire three motorsports publications and an advertising firm.In a prepared statement, Advance executives said they wanted to acquire American City, based in Charlotte, N.C., because its publications can give advertisers an audience with attractive demographics.

An Altamonte Springs investor was arrested Tuesday and charged with trying to extort a high-paying job from Hughes Supply Inc. by threatening to wage a stockholder battle in the news media against the Orlando company's management. Harold I. Lieberman, 39, of 1000 Douglas Ave., was arrested in Hughes Supply headquarters on West Central Boulevard after conversations between him and company executives were tape recorded by an Orlando Police Department investigator.He was charged with one count of second-degree felony extortion and later released from Orange County Jail on $2,500 bond.

American City Business Journals Inc. said Thursday it reached an agreement to purchase the Orlando Business Journal and the Tampa Bay Business Journal from the Richard N. Hoerner Jr. family trust in Tampa.The purchase price was not disclosed. The sale is expected to close at the end of the month, said Jim Feddersen, a lawyer for the Hoerner family in Milwaukee.American City is a Charlotte, N.C., publisher. It now owns 23 weekly business newspapers, including properties in Miami and Jacksonville.

CHAIRMAN DIES. Richard N. Hoerner Jr., chairman of Hoerner Publications of Orlando Inc. and Hoerner Publications of Tampa Bay Inc., the publishers, respectively, of Orlando Business Journal and Tampa Bay Business Journal, died Friday of cancer. He was 56. Hoerner was born in Tulsa, Okla., and spent much of his professional life in the container business, including a family business, Hoerner Boxes Inc. He also owned daily and weekly publications. He began Tampa Bay Business Journal in 1981 and Orlando Business Journal in 1984.